“So, what’s your Story? Tell me a little bit about yourself.”
I was born, raised, and educated all in a sleepy little Michigan hamlet named Ann Arbor. There, every Saturday, I would make the short walk with 110,000 of my best friends to a modest playing field, where we would watch some locals throw a ball around. It was good times.
When I wasn’t watching Michigan sports, or learning the curriculum, I spent a lot of my time reading, solving puzzle games, fencing, watching movies, and participating in the Michigan Marching Band (Go Piccs!). I spent my summers working for the college’s summer camp for alumni and their families. I worked in the camp’s ‘High-Ropes’ program-area, where we would encourage campers to attempt various tasks, such as climb a wall, or cross a balance beam, all from about 60 ft. in the air. It was incredibly rewarding seeing people conquer their fears and accomplish something they thought they couldn’t. I was also the unofficial IT Department for camp.
I graduated from UofM with a degree in Film Studies, and promptly moved out to Los Angeles, where all the Hollywood business was. Having learned about the physical side of production in college, I decided I would need to learn about the business side of the business, and took a job working in the mailroom of a major talent agency. I worked my way out of the mailroom, and my determination and enthusiasm landed me the coveted assistant position to the CEO, as well as assistant to one of the agency’s top talent agents. While often stressful, I learned to work well under pressure, and developed an ear for accepting criticism.
Soon after, I decided that the last aspect of the industry I wanted to explore was the creative side. I took a job as a creative executive working at a small production company where we would produce and finance small independent films. I got to work directly with writers, and to spitball ideas and story-beats as we would work together to craft something that was engaging and rewarding for the writer and also left the producers satisfied fiscally. I was also the unofficial IT Department for the company.
After nearly a decade of working in Hollywood, I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t getting the fulfillment I was looking for, and decided to re-evaluate my career path. During this time, I took a job working as an insurance escrow agent for a small company specializing in earthquake insurance for Homeowners Associations. I passed my Property & Casualty exam with flying colors, earning myself a license to sell insurance within the state of California. I spent my time there working with HOA board members, answering insurance questions, and educating people on the the finer points of their policies to help clear up any confusion. In the meantime, I was also the unofficial IT Department for the company.
I finally decided I should officially learn some computer skills so I could stop being the ‘unofficial IT Department’, and I enrolled in a coding academy based in San Francisco. I learned how to write in HTML, CSS, Javascript, Java, and my personal favorite, Python. We also learned about popular libraries and frameworks, and got to build some personal projects. I finished the academy, and spent time freelancing, building websites and small apps for people who might need them. It was amazing being able to work from home, but I also learned that I enjoyed working with people at a structured company. I had worked at some small startup companies in the past, which can sometimes lack proper structure and workflow, but it wasn’t until I was working from home that I came to truly appreciate this aspect of working directly with colleagues.
I was later hired to become a junior developer at a small advertising company in San Diego, and was soon promoted to Director of Operations. I had an opportunity to use my coding knowledge to work with programmers on the development and deployment of apps our company would use to increase efficiency. I got to use everything I learned from Hollywood and from Camp to maintain healthy working relationships with all of our clients, helping them to actualize some of their more ambitious ideas. I kept a tight record of all our technology resources, how they were being used, and proposed and executed a total upgrade of our company’s computer resources.
I have a large, incredibly applicable skillset, and I thoroughly enjoy working with people to make places more efficient, and more enjoyable for everyone present. If you need a Drew at your company, reach out to me!